24 Apr 2005

DoC manage a number of commercial activities in National Parks through a concession system with many different groups. All operators are required to pay a fee for the right to carry out a wide range of activities, including tourist operations and skifields.

The Department of Conservation is currently reviewing commercial activity in national parks. In the draft National Parks policy it includes a rule specifically banning the development of Gondolas in National Parks. Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu are opposing this policy.

A year earlier, Ngai Tahu requested that the National Park Policy recognise the "economic interests of Maori". There are a large number of operators who access National Parks for economic interests, so then, why can't Maori have a nationally recognised economic interest in a National Park?

There are an increasingly large number of overseas operators who are applying and being granted concessions, which raises the following questions:

• What is the regional policy and the national policy on foreign companies operating in National Parks;
• Why is the Department of Conservation allowing foreign companies to obtain concessions and property rights to operate in our National Parks, especially in respect to the appropriateness of such a decision and the companies commitment to New Zealand generally; and
• What commitments do DoC require of these companies in order to enable them to receive these concessions?

Ngai Tahu are planning on building a $100 million gondola linking Milford and Queenstown. This proposal is being pressured with the threat of exclusion. The Gondola banning proposal seems to be a direct reaction to the Ngai Tahu project plan as the gondola is a specific commercial activity that is being targetted. To date Ngai Tahu have been unsuccessful in overturning the ban but it has instead sought recourse through a loophole by requesting an exclusive amenity area to develop the Gondola.

The broader questions for iwi and Maori should be asked and answered by Maori and iwi, as there is a surfacing sentiment that recognising Maori economic interests in parks policy creates unfairness and resentment. Some comment that it will provide Maori with preferential treatment, but what is forgotten is the concession process itself, which is publicly notified and the requirement of the concessionnaire to meet all conditions.

Basically the issue comes down to the management of the commercial activity in natural areas and the ability of DoC and the iwi working co-operatively to minimise the impact on the area to obtain the best return from our national assets.

The new rules contained in the National Parks policy states that investigations into new park land "should include an assessment of the likely social, recreational, cultural and economic implications for tangata whenua and local and regional communities, as well as the nation generally".

Again, it all comes down to discretion. Therefore:

• Is it appropriate to claim National Parks policy should recognise the economic interests of Maori in National Parks?
• If it is recognised, does this mean that iwi will get preferential treatment for commercial projects?